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AJPH NEWS Release
EMBARGOED UNTIL February 22, 2002, 4:00 PM (ET)
CONTACT: For copies of articles, call Kendra Fitzgordon, (202) 777-2436
All articles are online at www.ajph.org
American Journal of Public Health: March 2002 Highlights
The articles highlighted below appear in the March 2002 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, the Journal of the American Public Health Association. The table of contents is enclosed.
HIV-Related Stigma Remains Strong in U.S.
The study finds that while support for extreme measures such as
quarantine of people with AIDS (PWAs) declined over the 1990s,
other aspects of AIDS stigma increased. Americans increasingly
believe that people who got AIDS through sex or drug use deserve
their illness -- 28 percent expressed this view in 1997, compared
to 20 percent in 1991. In 1999, many said they would feel uncomfortable
about interacting with a PWA -- between 22 percent and 30 percent,
depending on the type of interaction. Roughly 3 in 10 said they
would avoid shopping at a neighborhood grocery store owned by
a PWA. Inaccurate beliefs about AIDS transmission were more widespread
in 1999 than at the beginning of the decade. By 1999, 50 percent
incorrectly believed that AIDS can be spread by sharing a drinking
glass or from being coughed on by a PWA, and 41 percent believed
they can get the disease from a public toilet seat. The study
reports findings from national telephone surveys of English-speaking
adults in 1996-1997 and in 1998-1999, and compares them with results
from a similar survey in 1991.
[From: "HIV-Related Stigma
and Knowledge in the United States: Prevalence and Trends, 1991-1999."
Contact: Greg M. Herek, PhD, gmherek@ucdavis.edu, (530) 752-8085]
Violence Against HIV-Infected Pregnant Women A Serious
Public Health Problem
A new study of more than 600 HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative
but at-risk pregnant women confirms that violence against them
is a significant public health problem, potentially endangering
both the mother and her fetus. The study finds that 8.9 percent
of the women had experienced violence during pregnancy and 21.5
percent currently had abusive partners. However, neither was directly
attributable to positive serostatus. The authors conclude that
prenatal services should incorporate screening and counseling
for all women at risk for violence.
[From: "Violence During
Pregnancy Among Women With or at Risk for HIV Infection."
Contact: Linda J. Koenig, PhD, (404) 639-5192]
Nevirapine Recommended For Perinatal HIV Prevention
A new study concludes the use of nevirapine (NVP) to reduce perinatal
HIV transmission should not be delayed because of concerns about
the drug's toxicity. Three strategies were compared: single-dose
NVP, short-course zidovudine (ZDV) and no intervention. NVP was
found to prevent more deaths than the other strategies as long
as the rate of the drug's toxicity did not exceed specific levels
observed in clinical trials. NVP would also be economically preferable
to ZDV as long as the rate of toxicity did not exceed specific
levels observed in clinical trials. The study was supported by
a grant from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
[From: "Effect of Nevirapine
Toxicity on Choice of Perinatal HIV Prevention Strategies."
Contact: Jeffrey Stringer, MD, in Zambia, (260) 1-225-141]
Caregivers Rapidly Joining Ranks of Uninsured
Health care personnel in the U.S. are losing their health insurance
coverage more rapidly than other workers. For caregivers under
65, more than 1.3 million were uninsured in 1998, up 83 percent
from 1998. Declining coverage rates in the growing private-sector
health care workforce and declining health employment in the public
sector, which provided benefits to more of its workers, accounted
for the sharp increase. Households with a health care worker included
1.1 million uninsured children, accounting for 10 percent of all
uninsured children in the U.S. The authors call for universal
health care coverage.
[From: "No Care for the
Caregivers: Declining Health Insurance Coverage for Health Care
Personnel and Their Children, 1988-1998." Contact: Brady
G.S. Case, AB, (617) 308-7035]
Bar and Club Tobacco Promotions Target Young Adults
A new study analyzing previously secret tobacco industry marketing
documents finds that tobacco-sponsored promotions at bars and
clubs are aimed at young adults. Increased use of these promotions
in the 1980s and 1990s occurred concurrently with an increase
in smoking among people 18-24. The study finds the strategies
called for aggressive advertising, tobacco brand-sponsored activities
and distribution of free samples. Financial incentives for club
owners and staff were used to encourage smoking through peer influence.
The authors conclude that because these promotions are not regulated
by the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between the industry and
the states, tobacco control advocates should design interventions
to counter this tobacco industry strategy.
[From: "Smooth Moves: Tobacco
Bar and Nightclub Promotions Target Young Adults." Contact:
Stanton A. Glantz, PhD, University of California, (415) 476-3893]
The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly Journal of the American Public Health Association, the oldest and largest organization of public health professionals in the world and the foremost publisher of public health-related books and periodicals promoting high scientific standards, action programs and policy for good health. The Journal is online at www.ajph.org.
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